kitchen remodeling pt 2

[schmoron13]

I'm still working on my mom's kitchen, and I'm getting close to finishing the second design. The first design can be found here and I'm still touching it up. I'm trying to go for a more organic feel for this design. Again, these are also being used for my grad school application portfolio. And this is only the 2nd kitchn design I've ever done...rip it to shreds please...

 

 

By the way, I used max 5.1, with vray free...

[schmoron13]

i should note, that there are already changes i'm working on:

 

-the checker tiling got all out of whack, so I need to scale it down.

 

-the second island (by the window) is missing the wood endgrain texture for some reason

 

-the outside deck is accidentally aligned with min-min with the interiors as opposed to vice-versa.

 

hope to add a hanging rack to the main island...

[schmoron13]

I had a real hard time with vray free on this one. For some reason, whenever I turned refraction on, my rendering would grind to a halt when the bucket reached the stove. I turned refraction off everywhere and had to put that silly looking white partition behind the green aga companion stove. any advice???

[skogskalle]

design-wise its really cool, but I think you could work a little more on the 3D.

 

some things that bug me (a little)

1) the wood-texture on the islands look more like cork than wood to me.

2) it would be nice to see something through the window. (I usually dont do this myself, but it actually makes the image a lot more interesting)

3) The lighting looks a little flat. I like the lighting on the ceiling, but I think there should be more shadows on the floor.

4) and finally, the little plant in the 3rd pic is kinda weird search the web for a free 3D-plant to put there instead, I think it would make the image better.

 

dont get me wrong, man. Its good work, but if you spend a couple of extra hours on it I think its gonna be even better.

 

cheers

K

[schmoron13]

Originally posted by skogskalle:

design-wise its really cool, but I think you could work a little more on the 3D.

 

some things that bug me (a little)

1) the wood-texture on the islands look more like cork than wood to me.

2) it would be nice to see something through the window. (I usually dont do this myself, but it actually makes the image a lot more interesting)

3) The lighting looks a little flat. I like the lighting on the ceiling, but I think there should be more shadows on the floor.

4) and finally, the little plant in the 3rd pic is kinda weird search the web for a free 3D-plant to put there instead, I think it would make the image better.

 

dont get me wrong, man. Its good work, but if you spend a couple of extra hours on it I think its gonna be even better.

 

cheers

K

Thanks for the response. as to your comments:

1. the wood texture I'm using is a darktree procedural, and I know what you mean. The pantry on the righ (in the first pic) looks ok, but the other uses of the material don't work well because of the automated tiling in teh procedural...should I just go with a different material?

 

2. I'd love to add more to the window, but the problem is, I'm not sure how to do it without modeling in my mom's entire back yard. Should I just plop down a background image?

 

3. The lighting't been kicking my ass. Since I'm using vray's skylight/environmnet light, I'm finding it hard to balance it with the lights themselves. I definitely agree that the picture looks flat, but the problem I'm having is that as I turn the lights up, I get a ton of hotspots.

 

4. I think the problem with the plant is more a result of the bad darktree texture than the modeling. I got the model from ultra3d.com and it seemed ok until I put on that horrendous HORRENDOUS texture...I'll see if I can find something better.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, and I'll try and update tonight...I've also got my new processor coming in in the morning (p4, 3.06, 533 with HYPERTHREADING!!!!), so I'm sure it'll speed up my rendering quite a bit, which in turn will facilitate quicker turnarounds on updates.

[mbr]

The design:

 

If you want to go with the organic look, I'd suggest massaging the relationship between forms a little more. The best way to do this would be with some sketch paper, drawing on a plan. You'll be able to understand the proportions of forms to each other and the circulation through the space.

 

While you are doing this, think about how the ceiling and the floor relate to the forms. Right now, they seem too disjunctive. This is a great opportunity to do something interesting with the lights. For example, the dropped ceiling could follow the form of the island, creating a more distinguised presence and a visual marking for the different areas of the kitchen. This can also inform the floor, breaking up the tiles to create something that compliments the organic forms.

 

The appliances look a little too collaged, imo. If you want the organic look, it might be nicer to bring this all the way through the design, including the fixtures. For example, the sinks look a little conservative for a more contemporary design. I'd suggest something that was incorporated more into the form, instead of breaking it up. The stove looks a little out of place, too.

 

I recently saw a nice curved kitchen (I believe it was in Metropolitan home) where the only thing that disrupted the island top was a flat black stove. You would have just thought it was ornamental, as it was just a reflective black glass surface, if it weren't for the tea kettle on it. Very slick.

 

Lastly, I'd forget about the rendering until you are happy with the design. It's easy to get caught up in the materiality before the form. Those things can be worked out with trial and error, where the design is pretty much done once you build it in 3D. I am a fan of designing in white/gray, looking at the light and shadow, before applying materials (think white museum board, chip board, and basswood models). If it looks good all white, it will be great when you take time to apply materials selectively.

 

For the 3D, well, you know it looks flat. I don't know Vray, so can't help there, but I'd go to all white, lower the light, and begin one light at a time and see what it looks like. All too often with materials applied, it becomse difficult to interpret shadows and light.

Try sticking and image in the background, one with trees and/or buildings, and just move it up or down to adjust the horizon line.

 

Cheers. Hope some of that helps.

 

Oh, if you want to look at some great kitchens, look at Metropolitan Home, Dwell (once and a while), and Interior Design. There are always several very nice designs to look at for inspiration.